


Made You A Cuppa

by gandalfthesassy



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005), nuwho
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-08-03 17:35:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16330538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gandalfthesassy/pseuds/gandalfthesassy
Summary: The Doctor likes to make you tea and listen to you talk, and sometimes you do the same for her. One night, you can’t sleep, so you wander around the TARDIS and run into her. But that night, something new happens.Gender-neutral pronouns throughout. (y/n) means your name/what you want to be called. Rated T because someone gets kissed up against the TARDIS console, there's some angst and a brief mention of adultery.





	Made You A Cuppa

You couldn’t remember the last time you had a moment to yourself. For the past year or so, you’d been running for your life from hostile aliens, or occasionally from angry humans who didn’t like you or your alien friend intruding on “official government business.” Needless to say, there weren’t many breathers.

That’s not to say there were _no_ breathers. At the moment, you were sitting next to the console of your alien friend’s spaceship, and there was nothing happening besides the usual hum of the engine. The core’s orange light flickered slightly, like a blazing fire hidden within a crystal. Were you any sort of a writer, you’d make a metaphor out of that.

You never expected this to feel like home. Just _thinking_ about your situation boggled your mind. You were technically in a spaceship/timeship that was in another dimension. Rather, it was its _own_ dimension, like a little pocket universe. Upon seeing your initial confusion, The Doctor had pulled out two boxes and tried to explain how the whole dimension thing worked. Unfortunately, you were so shell-shocked after having almost crashed your car into her police box (slash secret alien ship) that you’d passed out by the time she got to the phrase, “maintain the distance between the boxes.”

It took you a week to get used to it, though, and soon you were living there full-time. You’d gotten lost a few times in the TARDIS’s many, _many_ rooms, but usually you weren’t worried. You were naturally curious. You couldn’t resist. Sometimes, when you couldn’t sleep, you’d go explore. Luckily, you’d always make it back to your room before you fell asleep.

But tonight (or what _felt_ like night, anyway) was different. No matter where you turned, you always seemed to end up back in the console room. You were convinced that the ship itself was leading you back here, like it was changing the rooms and halls around so you couldn’t escape. It was a theory out of a horror movie, yes, but you know, you were on an alien spaceship. _Anything goes,_ you told yourself. As long as the ship wasn’t actively trying to kill you, there was no need to worry. _And who knows?_  you thought. _Maybe the ship is leading me here for a reason. Am I supposed to do something...?_

So there you sat, on the floor of the console room, not sure what to do. You patted your pockets for your phone and cursed whatever deity existed; you must’ve left it back in the Doctor’s study.

Speaking of, you hadn’t seen her in a few hours. You _did_ say you were heading to bed, but she’d usually poke her head in to see if you were in fact asleep. If you weren’t, she’d stay up and talk to you. She did it even when she was tired--you could tell, and it worried you a little. You weren’t good at sleeping, but she was somehow worse. The last time you chided her for not sleeping, she said something like, “Time Lords don’t _need_ sleep, I’ll be fine,” before cuddling up to you and promptly falling asleep.

You spent that night in a different room. Sitting there, you realized why. You were embarrassed, sure, but that was because it just felt like teasing. She didn’t mean it on purpose, of course. But if you thought too hard, you just thought about how you’d never have a chance with her. Even if she weren’t who she was and were not an alien and all, you still wouldn’t.

And still, you stayed. You didn’t know why.

“Made you a cuppa.”

You turned over your shoulder to see the Doctor, a steaming mug of tea in her hands. You nodded ever so slightly. She crouched down in front of you as you turned to her and held out the mug-- _your_ mug, for that matter. As you took it, you spoke: “Before you ask what I’m doing here, I kept trying to wander around to make myself sleep. This is gonna sound weird, but I don’t think your ship _wants_ me to wander. I keep ending up here, no matter which way I turn.”

“Oh yeah, she does that,” the Doctor confirmed your suspicion, turning back to the console for a moment. “I seem to remember my study being a little farther away, but this time she led me right here.” She turned back to you and sat, now holding a cup and saucer of her own.

“Then how’d you make the tea?”

“Oh, I made us tea a while earlier. I just forgot to offer it to you.”

“How long ago?”

“...Six hours.” You raised an eyebrow, judging her in jest. “But it’s still warm! I promise. Look, I’ll have some of mine.” She took a sip and burnt her tongue. You giggled, which made her laugh too. “Sorry, warm’s not the right word. I just burnt my tongue on a _star_. Well, _basically_ a star.”

“So the TARDIS is alive?” you deduced.

“Oh yes, of course!” her eyes lit up, and you settled yourself a little. You loved when she got like this. “She’s got a mind of her own, which is good ‘cause I can’t fly her as well as I think I can. Sometimes I think she’s smarter than me. Smartest box in the universe, you know. So far, anyway.”

“So she’s just a brain then? And her consciousness I guess lives in the ship?”

“That’s right, yeah. God, I love how clever you are.” Your face heated a little in surprise as she continued on. “Actually, there _was_ one time she possessed this poor lady on this trash planet--that was a couple regenerations ago now. And I got to speak to her, which was a real treat. But yeah, she’s almost like my wife.” She took another sip, this time not hurting herself, as you felt a pang of jealousy.

Okay, why the _fuck_ were you jealous of a _ship_? Well, a ship with kind of a soul, or brain or whatever. She was a _ship_.

Besides, you knew the Doctor, or you knew what she’d told you. She was a thousand-year-old alien who’d seen planets burn, stars explode, and entire races die. She’d met millions of women, men, and other folks who’d caught her eye. You knew she’d never had any relationship that had lasted that long. It was no fault of her own. That was just the price she paid for her freedom to travel, and you could tell that she knew that. Even the ones she said she’d loved, it was never anything long-term. Every time she spoke of them, though, she always seemed fatalistic, like she’d known beforehand it would never go anywhere. She’d resigned herself and had never really acted on her feelings. Not often, anyway.

Huh. You had more in common with her than you thought.

While you’d been mulling this over, the Doctor had nearly finished her cup. “(y/n), are you alright?”

You came back to the moment and realized that you hadn’t drunk any of your tea. You flushed harder, looking down at the familiar color of your favorite tea, the color tinted with just the right amount of cream and sugar. Back when you started travelling with her, she discovered your favorite blend through some clever espionage. Actually, she just asked you what tea you liked and proceeded to stock up on it. So, in those blessed times when you were alone together, she’d make you your favorite tea, and you’d just...talk. And spend time together, even if you didn’t feel like talking.

And there you were, spacing out like a jackass while she did this incredibly nice thing for you.

“Yeah, uh, I’ve just been trying to figure out how to phrase something.”

“Take your time,” she reassured you, taking another sip of her tea. “Oh, and don’t worry, your tea isn’t as hot as mine. But no rush! Sorry, don’t mean to pressure you.”

You smiled at her. “It’s okay, Doctor, I get you.” You finally drank from your mug and relaxed as the warmness spread from your chest outwards. “Well, _now_ I feel tired.”

You didn’t look right into the Doctor’s eyes, but you could tell she was still staring, waiting for you to speak. You held your mug up to your mouth, not drinking from it, just feeling the warmth. The scent slowed your heart rate. But when you looked at her again, it picked right back up again.

You didn’t know how to phrase this. After all, you’d just realized it. And maybe saying it wasn’t the best idea.

But now you’d gotten her curious. And you knew curiosity: you had to sate it or she’d ask you until you could finally say it--or worse, she’d just watch you with concern. You wanted to tell her so badly, but you were so scared.

You knew the Doctor. You knew that there were others before you and there would be countless after until she finally died. And you thought you knew how she’d react.

“It’s a little gossip-y,” you began.

“What sorta gossip?” she finished her cup and set it beside her.

“Romance-related.”

Her eyebrows perked up. “Ooh, yours or someone else’s?”

You panicked. Before you could concoct a solid lie, you blurted: “Mine.”

“Ooh, that’s exciting!” You’d never taken the Doctor to be the gossip type, but hey, she seemed invested just from your confession. Maybe a little _too_ invested for what you were about to say. You drank most of your tea as you listened to her prattle on. “I did leave you for a few weeks. Sorry about that, I misjudged where I was landing. But anyway! Something happened, I’m guessing, when you were there. Did you manage to get engaged, or have you started dating someone? I mean it’s really none of my business, but you seem to want to talk about it. You wouldn’t have brought it up otherwise. But only if you want to tell.”

“You sound like that one girl at a sleepover that learns everyone’s secrets, but she’s secretly planning on telling everyone at school,” you observed, suddenly feeling more vulnerable than normal.

“Well, I’m not gonna tell anyone, alright? But if you’re second-guessing yourself,” she calmed down a little, seeing your reaction, “you don’t have to tell me. It is getting rather late for you, isn’t it. I mean you do get a little loopy after--”

“Doctor,” you'd cut her off by accident but couldn’t stop yourself, “I do want to tell you, it’s just taking me a while to get there.” You breathed deeply, readying yourself. “So, there’s this...person that I care deeply about. And I’ve been thinking a lot about how _exactly_ I feel about them, because I didn’t really understand my feelings at first. New friend and everything. But now I know what it is.”

“What is it?”

“I’m in love.” The Doctor gasped in delight. “But I don’t think they feel the same way.”

“Oh, nonsense!” she cried. “There’s loads about you to love, and if they can’t see any of that they’re completely daft!”

You blushed, but you couldn’t help but ask, “You’re not drunk, are you?”

“No, not at all. I’m just tired, like you are.”

“I mean, not after all this tea we just consumed. In a few minutes we’ll be like toddlers again, bouncing off the walls, travelling to some random planet and scaring the shit out of the locals...”

She laughed at the thought of that. “Ah, maybe. But tell me more about this person. Do I know them?”

“Well…” You hesitated.

“I’m guessing I do.”

_“_ ...Yeah, you do.” _Damnit_. You were so bad at lying to her. It was a miracle you hadn’t accidentally voiced your inner pining long ago. (Or maybe she was just clever, you could never tell.)

“Human or alien?”

“Alien.”

“Brilliant,” her eyes lit up, but in a way you hadn’t seen before. At least, not from her. You’d seen a look like that once, maybe twice in your life. But each was followed not long after by heartbreak. You tensed up unconsciously. “Was it one we ran into, were they on Earth while you were there?”

“Um, briefly,” you relaxed, realizing she was drifting away from the truth. “But they had to leave again.”

“So long distance alien boyfriend? Or girlfriend? You’d say datemate, right?”

“Yeah, well, girlfriend. But she’s not my girlfriend.”

“Not _yet_ ,” the Doctor’s eyes sparkled. “I’ll help you find her! What planet is she from, do you know?”

“Yeah,” you started, but she was already on her feet, standing at the console. “Uh, she’s from, uh…Gallifrey.”

Six different expressions crossed her face. You finished your tea in one gulp. “You’re in love with a Time Lord? Ooh, that’s tricky. But! If she means a lot to you, then we’ll manage it. I want you to be happy. So let’s go.”

“She’s not _on_ Gallifrey right now,” your voice stopped her. She moved her hand from one of the dials and looked at you.

“Where was she last?”

“In her spaceship.”

The Doctor’s brow furrowed. “So we need to track a spaceship…that’s tricky too. I’m gonna need your help, (y/n).”

You lost your nerve and jumped to your feet. “Doctor, please! We don’t need to go find her!”

“Yes, we do,” she looked right at you, her age-old stubbornness coming out in full force. “If only so you can get some closure—”

“Doctor, I know exactly where she is.”

She blinked. “Oh! Well that saves us the trouble of looking for her.” A lightbulb went off in her head. “Wait a tic. Is she here? Is she hiding in my TARDIS?” Her eyes lit up at that thought. “You don’t need to hide anyone, you know, (y/n). I’d love to meet her. Which way is she?” the Doctor spun around excitedly, looking to all the possible exits from the room.

When she turned back to you, she had your answer. You were pointing right at her.

“Oh, _I’m_ her!” she realized. “But that means…”

“Doctor,” you spoke carefully. “I know you’re so much older than I am, and we’ve only been friends for a year or so, I don’t know, time travel’s weird…” You lost the words for a moment and trailed off.

“Go on,” she told you, voice unaffected.

“You’re so gentle and kind, and I haven’t known _anyone_ like you. Even my family and the few people I’ve dated, they’re almost nothing compared to you. You mean a thousand worlds to me. It was just now that I sorted out my feelings: I’m in love with you.”

She stood there a moment, just watching you, face unreadable. You panicked.

“But I mean, uh, I-I think highly of you! I know it wouldn’t work out, I mean I’ll die long before you, but I uh really respect you!! You’re cute, but not in like a cuddly way, but in a—”

“(y/n).”

You closed your mouth, still lowkey panicking, and swallowed unconsciously. You prepared yourself for the worst.

The Doctor stepped towards you. She met your eyes. Hers still had that look in them, but you suddenly recognized it. Her hands took yours as she looked at your lips, then your eyes. You could’ve melted right then and there. Hell, you _wanted_ to! She was holding your hands and looking at you like you were her soul mate. But you were still nervous, still confused. Was she about to reject you? Or did she feel the same? You had to hear her say it too, whatever her feelings.

“Doctor?” you almost squeaked, face flushing again. “Say something, please.”

“I wasn’t joking when I said there’s loads about you to love. I love _all_ of you."

“All of me? I’m far from perfect...”

“Yeah, but so am I,” she retorted, “and you love me. So this is me, loving you anyway.”

“Wait, just so I’m clear, you do love me? As in, you’re _in_ _love_ with me?”

Your face was in her hands in an instant. Her lips touched yours briefly, but as soon as you tried to kiss back she’d pulled away. You watched her as she looked into your eyes, then at your lips, then to your eyes again. Your breath caught in your throat.

“The answer’s both,” she murmured. You could’ve passed out or even died in that moment and you would’ve been happy. But she was too far from you, even with her hands right on your face. A short laugh fell from your lips, still tingling, still hungry.

“How long have you felt like this?” you couldn’t help but ask.

“Two months after you joined. When you looked that warlord dead in the eyes and told her to get off that planet, or you’d haunt her forever, that’s when I knew I loved you.” You tilted your head and chuckled.

“Really?”

“Well I’m sure I’d felt it before then, you’re rather brilliant when you’re passionate,” you blushed at the compliment as she moved her hands back to hold yours, “but you’re so...forgive me, but you’re so _ordinary_. Which is brilliant.”

“Thank...you?” you laughed a little. “I’ll take that as a compliment. Can we get back to kissing?”

“Gladly,” she grinned, bouncing briefly. You kissed her first this time. The two of you stood there, holding each other tight, kissing slowly but with great energy. As you both got more into it, you leaned against the console, and the Doctor placed her hands on either side of you to balance.

Before it could continue, however, the TARDIS rumbled, throwing you two off for a moment. Your mug and the Doctor’s cup rattled on the floor. You glanced back at the core. “Whoops. I’m guessing she doesn’t like it when you cheat on her, in front of her,” you remarked. “Sorry.”

“Oh no, no, that’s not it at all! She just would rather we continue somewhere else.” She turned her head towards the ceiling as the TARDIS made another strange whine. “And she’s not jealous, apparently. In fact, she’s rather happy,” she turned back to you, that giddy grin on her face again.

“But she’s your wife, isn’t she?”

“‘Wife’ might not be the best translation. We’re more...ooh, I don’t know if there’s a word for it.”

“Queerplatonic…?” you suggested. “Or an open relationship?”

“That first one,” she answered. "I love you differently. But don't tell her."

“I think she already knows. I mean, she's the smartest box in the universe, _and_ the galaxy’s biggest shipper,” you joked, making the Doctor laugh.

“Alright, come on.” She took your hand, leading you to a door that would take you both farther into the TARDIS. “Maybe this time, we won’t loop back here.”

“Wait!” you took your hand back and rushed to the two cups on the floor. You held one in each hand, the hand with the saucer trembling a bit as you moved. “Can’t forget these. I know I’d hate other people’s cups lying around in my room.”

“Maybe I should make us more tea?” she offered, taking her cup with steady hands.

“We should get to bed. How about instead we just, uh...share a bed? Only if you’re comfortable with that, though.”

“That sounds much better.” She gently tapped your forehead once with her finger. “Clever (y/n).” You blushed hard as she walked ahead of you.

The two of you left the console room. And the TARDIS whirred and groaned contentedly, glad that her little plan had worked out so well.

**Author's Note:**

> hi im gay and i love the thirteenth doctor for gay reasons i hope you enjoyed this


End file.
